The OWU English Department Blog
This piece contains spoilers for Bones and All and The Lighthouse.
Bones and All and The Lighthouse are two very unique horror films that travel back in time to bend reality, and to speak on common aspects of humanity that are always present in life. I am not the biggest lover of horror films, and I actually tend to avoid them, especially if they are excessively gory.…
A malformed, masked entity lurks in the shadows of a Parisian Opera house. His presence had only haunted the house until an aspiring opera singer, Christine Daaé, stepped onto the stage. However, then the so-called “Phantom” develops a desire to help Christine in her career and become the lead performer–but at what cost?…
Watching Gladiator II without first watching its predecessor for beat-by-beat comparison or borderline masturbatory indulgence in nostalgia is a bizarre exercise in interpretation. It is watching shadows on the wall of a cave, an astute audience perhaps faintly aware that these shapes cannot possibly exist in a vacuum, that their movements and patterns are too strange, too specific, and too divorced from their context to belong solely to the wall, but with nothing else to draw from they are forced to accept these as a complete reality.…
“Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” A line from the opening song that cements a popular theme that drives the narrative of “Wicked” throughout the film. The line itself is sung by Glinda (or rather Galinda), the Good Witch of the North, which is in reference to the Wicked Witch of the West, otherwise known as Elphaba.…
The life of the former Queen of England, Lady Jane Grey, was anything but a comedy. Her life was certainly not a story most would make the center of a historical, fantastical, romantic comedy. But a 2016 novel, My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows did just that – and eight years later the Amazon Prime television show My Lady Jane was born.…
(Note: This review is not spoiler-free)
In times of political unease, it is important to remember the value of books, the lessons and the values that they contain. Given the current political climate, one of the greatest examples of a book with such values and lessons is the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, first published in 2006. …
The holidays are coming up– this is the perfect opportunity to expand your book collection and treat yourself to some new reads. Whether you are looking for an emotionally gripping book, captivating poetry, or a purely self-indulgent read, this list has the perfect story for you.
The following recommendations are a collection of essays or feature elements of essay writing in their composition.…
1.Ready or Not (2019)
If what you want for Hallo
ween is the perfect balance between adrenaline-filled scares, unabashed fun, and a little bit of gore, Ready or Not is the perfect choice. The movie follows Grace, a woman with no family who just married the man of her dreams and is excited to start her life with him; on their wedding night, she discovers a family tradition according to which, in order to officially become part of the family, all she has to do is play a children’s game.…
In the utter chaos of the world we live in right now, traveling has ceased–for the moment, at least–to be an option. Though we know it is the responsible thing, and not getting in a plane somewhere is the least we can do for our fellow humans, the longing for travel and exploration won’t simply fade away.…
“The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) by Charlotte Perkins:
Written in first person as a collection of journal entries, The Yellow Wallpaper details a woman who is diagnosed with a “slight hysterical tendency” following the birth of her child. Her husband, a doctor, prescribes a rest cure in a mysterious colonial mansion that does not sit well with the woman.…